Assistant Building Official

Graduation from high school or equivalent supplemented by two years of post-secondary college or technical instruction in building technology, construction management, mechanical, electrical, plumbing or building construction, and five years of experience in general construction or related fields. Must obtain "Provisional" certification as a Building Code Administrator (Building Official) by the State of Florida within three months of employment. Must obtain "Standard" certification as a Building Code Administrator (Building Official) within one year of date of issuance of provisional certification. Must possess a valid State of Florida Driver's license. Successful completion of a criminal history background investigation is required prior to employment. Must file a statement of Financial Interests (Form 1) within 30 days of employment and annually by July 1 of each year. Applicants within six months of meeting the minimum education/experience requirement may be considered for trainee status.

This position performs a variety of routine and complex administrative, supervisory and technical work in administering and enforcing Alachua County building and related codes.

An employee assigned to this classification is responsible for supervising inspectors and plans examiners for all commercial and residential projects; supervises and performs inspections and certifications of new, existing, and altered buildings and structures to ensure compliance with the county and state building codes and ordinances. Independently reviews construction plans, specifications, site plans, elevation certificates and other documents necessary to ensure compliance with codes and ordinances and are in accordance with department regulations and established technical standards.

Work is performed under the direction of a higher level supervisor and is reviewed through conferences, reports and observation of results obtained.

 

Supervises and coordinates the activities of subordinate employees including determining work procedures and schedules; issuing instructions and assigning duties; reviewing work; recommending personnel actions; conducting performance reviews; and conducting departmental training and orientation.

Performs inspections and plans review of new and existing residences, businesses, commercial and other buildings and structures for conformance with requirements of state and county codes, ordinances and laws.

Coordinates inspections, establishing inspector territories and personnel training.

Works with Plans Examiners on all commercial and residential construction projects in the county.

Conducts pre-submission conferences with design professionals, contractors, and developers to discuss code and statute requirements, submittal package contents, and procedures.

Advises builders, owners, contractors and architects on building and structural problems, and may assist the design professional in modifying plans/specifications/ blueprints to bring about code compliance.

Informs builders, owners, contractors and architects of code violations.

Renders approval or disapproval of inspected sites regarding the issuance of building permits or stop work orders.

Reviews construction project files and approves for Certificate of Occupancy

Presents evidence to the Code Enforcement Board regarding code and ordinance violations.

Investigates complaints of defective projects that are reported, notifies responsible persons of defects, and issues instructions for corrections.

Performs second inspections and reports for compliance or non-compliance to previous violations.

Prepares records and reports of inspections performed covering conditions found, actions taken, as well as names of owners, builders and addresses of inspections.

Attends and participates in workshops, meetings, seminars, and/or training opportunities to maintain certifications, acquire current industry knowledge, and to remain current on regulatory developments.

Assumes the duties of the Building Official in the event of absence, or as directed.

Performs related duties as required.

NOTE: These examples are intended only as illustrations of the various kinds of work performed in positions allocated to this class. The omission of specific statements of duties does not exclude them from the position if the work is similar, related or a logical assignment to the position.

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS AND ABILITIES

Thorough knowledge of standard building codes and electrical codes, plumbing codes, mechanical codes, general construction codes and carpentry.

Considerable knowledge in electrical work, carpentry work, cement work and plumbing.

Skill in applying knowledge of standard building codes, zoning and land use applications.

Ability to apply principles of logical thinking to define problems, collect data, establish facts and draw valid conclusions; to interpret a variety of technical instructions in written, mathematical or diagrammatic form; to make independent judgments in absence of supervision; to acquire knowledge of topics related to primary occupation.

Ability to inspect items for proper length, width and shape; identify degrees of similarity in form; and visually read various information.

Ability to record and deliver information, to explain procedures, to issue and follow verbal and written instructions.

Ability to add and subtract totals, multiply and divide, use decimals and calculate percentages; compute ratio and proportion.

Ability to read a variety of records, reports, policy and procedure manuals, codes, professional journals, etc., in moderately complex technical terminology.

Ability to read and interpret blueprints, plans and specifications.

Ability to use multimedia electronic devices and computers required to communicate with applicants and interpret electronic submittals, documents, diagrams and spreadsheets.

Ability to effectively supervise and coordinate the activities of subordinate employees.

Ability to compare and/or judge the readily observable, functional, structural or compositional characteristics (whether similar to or divergent from obvious standards) of structures, sites, building components and plans.

Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships with contractors, developers, architects, engineers, owners and the general public.

Ability to tactfully and effectively interact with the public and with co-workers.

Ability to prepare forms and reports using prescribed formats and adhering to all rules of grammar, spelling, diction and punctuation.

Ability to communicate effectively in Standard English and in the various professional languages relevant to construction and engineering activities. Must be able to communicate effectively and efficiently in a variety of trade and/or professional languages used within the parameters of the job. Ability of speaking and/or signaling people to convey or exchange information; includes issuing and receiving assignments, instructions and/or directions.

Ability to coordinate hands and eyes using industry specific tools and modern office equipment.

PHYSICAL DEMANDS: The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to talk or hear. The employee is frequently required to stand; walk, and sit. The employee is occasionally required to climb or balance; stoop, kneel, crouch or crawl, and reach with hands and arms. Requires full range of body motion in manipulation of limbs and torso for working on scaffolding, climbing ladders and/or working in confined spaces. Requires excellent equilibrium to prevent falling from narrow, slippery, rough, and uneven surfaces or erratically moving surfaces. Physical demands are in excess of sedentary work; requires prolonged periods of standing, walking and driving.

The employee must occasionally exert 50 to 100 pounds of force occasionally, or 25 to 50 pounds of force frequently, or 10 to 20 pounds of force constantly to lift, carry, push, pull or otherwise move objects. Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, distance vision, differentiate colors and shades of color, peripheral vision, depth perception, and ability to adjust focus, must have excellent levels of eye/hand/foot coordination.

WORK ENVIRONMENT: The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

While performing the duties of this job, the employee is occasionally exposed to work near moving mechanical parts; work in high, precarious places; fumes or airborne particles; toxic or caustic chemicals; outdoor weather conditions. May be subject to a significant degree of risk due to the periods of exposure to outside atmospheric and environment conditions (i.e., extreme heat or cold, high humidity, severe weather, etc.). Is exposed to possible bodily injury from electrical shock, falling objects, moving mechanical parts, falling from high places and chemical and/or toxic agents.

The noise level in the work environment is usually moderate.